Kai Pearce-Paul Sin-Binned After Frustrating Incident as Adam O’Brien’s Reaction Captures the Shocking Moment

Adam O’Brien’s exasperation with his team was epitomised by a moment of sheer anger when Kai Pearce-Paul received a sin bin for a costly lapse in judgment during the second half against the Eels.

Pearce-Paul fell into the trap set by Mitchell Moses as the Eels pressed towards the line in the 62nd minute.

Following a prior ruck infringement by Tyson Frizell, Pearce-Paul tackled Moses, who responded by pushing Pearce-Paul in the face with an open hand in an effort to quicken the play-the-ball. The Knights second-rower then shoved him to the ground, prompting referee Todd Smith to award a penalty and send him to the sin bin.

Smith indicated it was due to three consecutive infringements.

Pearce-Paul’s reaction was one of disbelief, mouth agape, as the camera panned to O’Brien who was left with his hands on his head.

“That’s just sheer frustration; just look at the poor coach,” commented Steve ‘Blocker’ Roach on Fox League.

Following this incident, Parramatta extended their advantage to 18-0 with a penalty goal.

With a one-man edge, the Eels pushed their lead further to 22-0 thanks to future Knights recruit Dylan Brown, followed by a try from Jordan Samrani, concluding the match at 28-6.

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The sin bin incident added to the Knights’ troubling statistics, with the team missing a total of 48 tackles, compared to Parramatta’s 24.

However, the Eels recorded more errors with 15 against Newcastle’s 14.

In his post-match remarks, O’Brien acknowledged that his side was in a “funk,” but praised their efforts nonetheless.

He was also queried once again about the absence of Jackson Hastings. The halfback hasn’t featured for the Knights this season, amid their struggles in attack, with reports suggesting he has fallen out of favour with his teammates.

O’Brien believes Hastings wouldn’t be the solution to their problems.

“I evaluate everything, but I don’t want to pinpoint just the halves. Our problems aren’t solely about Tyson Gamble or Fletch (Sharpe), and I don’t see Jackson coming in to resolve our forward power issues,” he remarked.

Notably, five Knights forwards—Tyson Frizell, Dylan Lucas, Pearce-Paul, Mat Croker, and Thomas Cant—each ran for over 100 metres.